Two world premieres, 54 motoring jewels and a 1937 one-off roadster crowned Best of Show. The most elegant weekend of the year delivered once again.
Once again, GTspirit had the privilege of being invited to the shores of Lake Como for what is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most beautiful classic car gathering on the planet. To be welcomed back at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is something we never take for granted, and we would like to start this article with a heartfelt thank you to BMW Group Classic and to Villa d’Este, whose hospitality year after year is part of what makes this event so unmistakably special.
Held from May 15th to 17th 2026 under the banner “Future needs Heritage”, this year’s edition unfolded under perfect spring sunshine. The gardens of the Villa d’Este and the parkland of Villa Erba were filled with 54 cars from 13 countries, spread across eight competition classes that ranged from the very dawn of the automobile to a handful of forward-looking concept cars. As ever, the result was an effortless mix of glamour, mechanical poetry and that very particular Lake Como atmosphere you can’t really find anywhere else.
Best of Show: BMW 328 “Bügelfalte”, 1937
The Trofeo BMW Group, the Jury’s Best of Show award, went to a car that practically tells the story of pre-war BMW in a single silhouette: the 1937 BMW 328 “Bügelfalte” belonging to Italian collector Stefano Martinoli. The only special roadster ever produced at the Munich plant in this configuration, the “Bügelfalte” (literally “trouser crease”) takes its nickname from the sharp metal edging that runs across the top of its front wings.
The Best of Show award was presented on Sunday evening by Helmut Käs, Head of BMW Group Classic and President of the Concorso, Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne, and the President of the Jury, Lorenzo Ramaciotti. Along with the trophy, Mr. Martinoli also received a unique example of the 1815 CHRONOGRAPH in 18-carat white gold with a solid pink-gold dial, a one-of-a-kind timepiece crafted by A. Lange & Söhne especially for the winner.
Coppa d’Oro: Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster Wins the Public Vote
As is tradition, the public also had their say. The Trofeo Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este, awarded by public referendum, went to a 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster owned by Eric Blumencranz from the USA. Built towards the very end of the model’s production run, the silver roadster won hearts the moment it rolled onto the gravel in front of the Villa d’Este. A reminder that no matter how many supercars line the lawns, sometimes the most universally adored car is still a 300 SL.
Two World Premieres on Friday Evening
Friday evening delivered the first real fireworks. BMW used the lakeside stage to unveil not one but two world premieres, starting with the Vision BMW ALPINA. The newly-established BMW ALPINA brand finally has a design statement to call its own. It’s a long, raked 2+2 coupé measuring an imposing 5,200 mm in length, powered by a V8 and exhaling through four elliptical tailpipes designed to deliver that unmistakable ALPINA voice: deep and sonorous at a cruise, muscular and stirring when you wind it out. The whole car is built around the brand’s core promise of serious driving capability paired with proper, four-seat grand-touring comfort.
Helmut Käs summed up the choice of venue perfectly: “The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is exactly the right place to unveil a new car; it’s very much in keeping with this year’s motto ‘Future needs Heritage’. A reveal of this kind at Villa d’Este is something quite special; here, we are drawing a line from the past, through the present to the future.”
BMW Motorrad followed up with the second world premiere of the evening: the BMW Motorrad Vision K18. Built around a 1,800 cc straight-six and styled under the heading “The Heat of Speed”, the K18 is an arrow-shaped “Full Force Forward” design study that doubles as a manifesto for where BMW’s motorcycle division wants to take its halo six-cylinder machines. Uncompromising, emotional and unmistakably BMW.
90 Years of the BMW 328
Fitting that this should be the year the 328 “Bügelfalte” took Best of Show: 2026 marks 90 years since the model first appeared. Built from 1936 to 1940 and powered by a 2.0-litre straight-six, the 328 was the most successful sports car of the 1930s and arguably the car that defined BMW’s DNA: dynamism, aesthetic appeal and standout engineering. A 328 led both the Saturday parade outside Villa d’Este and the Sunday parade through the parkland of Villa Erba, a quiet but absolutely deserved tribute.
40 Years of the BMW M3
Over at Villa Erba, the other big anniversary belonged to the BMW M3. Four decades on from the original E30, BMW gathered a remarkable line-up to celebrate the car that invented the compact super-saloon category. Born as a homologation special for Group A touring car racing, the E30 M3 became the most successful touring car racer of all time, winning every relevant championship between 1987 and 1992 in the hands of legends such as Johnny Cecotto, Roberto Ravaglia and Emanuele Pirro, all of whom were present to mark the occasion alongside brand ambassador Prince Leopold of Bavaria.
BMW Art Cars and 50 Years of the 6 Series
BMW also took the opportunity to celebrate 50 years of both the 6 Series and the BMW Art Car Collection as part of the ongoing BMW Art Car World Tour. Two genuine masterpieces were on display: Robert Rauschenberg’s 1986 BMW 635 CSi and John Baldessari’s 2016 BMW M6 GTLM. Having now visited more than 30 countries and 60 venues, the touring Art Cars will reach their grand finale this summer with the biggest dedicated exhibition yet, at BMW Welt in Munich.
Broad Arrow Auctions: A Pagani, an F40 and a Daytona SP3
Broad Arrow Auctions returned as official auction partner of BMW AG and put on a typically spectacular sale over two days at Villa Erba. The catalogue ran to 70 cars and the bidder pool jumped 71 percent compared to 2025, with collectors registering from 31 different countries. The headliners were a 2018 Pagani Zonda Unica, a 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3 and, of course, a 1990 Ferrari F40. Full results are available on the Broad Arrow Auctions website.
Class Winners 2026
Across the eight competition classes, the Jury picked the following class winners:
- Class A – Automotive Tailoring: Over A Decade of Opulence (1923–1934): Delage D8, 1933
- Class B – Future Couture: Dressed For Speed (1928–1939): BMW 328 “Bügelfalte”, 1937
- Class C – Viva Villa d’Este: Extravagant 1950s Style: Ferrari 212 Coupé Speciale, 1952
- Class D – The Top Goes Down. The Price Goes Up: Selling Sunshine: BMW 507, 1958
- Class E – They Earned Their Names: Enzo’s Endurance Legends: Ferrari 250 GT, 1957
- Class F – Every Scratch Tells A Story: Aging Gracefully Without Restoration: DeTomaso Mangusta, 1969
- Class G – From Carnaby Street To The Autostrada: The Swinging GT Driver: Jaguar E-Type (Blumencranz / McDonnel entry)
- Class H – The Pace Race: The Supercar Comes Of Age: Volkswagen W12 Nardò, 2000
A Word on the Special Prizes
Beyond the class trophies, a handful of special prizes also caught our attention. The Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars & Prototypes (by public referendum) went deservedly to the Italian-built Kimera Automobili K-39 (2026). The Trofeo del Presidente della Giuria, awarded personally by Lorenzo Ramaciotti, went to a 1986 Ferrari Testarossa. The Trofeo Auto & Design for the most exciting design went to a 1989 Ferrari F40, and the Trofeo Il Canto del Motore for best engine sound, a category we always pay close attention to, went to a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM.
Arrivederci, Como
As the last engines fell silent on Sunday evening and the historic cars rolled out of Villa Erba, it was hard not to feel that familiar bittersweet mix of satisfaction and impatience. The 2026 edition of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este was, once again, faultless: world premieres, anniversaries, a Best of Show with real soul and an atmosphere that no other concours on earth quite manages to replicate.
Our thanks once more to BMW Group Classic, Villa d’Este and everyone who made this weekend possible. We’ll see you in Como next year for the next chapter of this wonderful story, and we already can’t wait.
